Wanna' Play?
by Spearshake
Summary: It's World Peace Day and the Powerpuff Girls have the day off. They can do whatever they want for once. One problem though. They're bored as hell. Who's gonna' help 'em have fun? Please Read and Review! Chapter nine FINALLY up!
1. Boredom

It was world peace day in the city of Townsville, and everyone was celebrating. Workers and their colleagues were hosting parties, young couples were out on dates, families were gathering for reunions and school kids and playground bullies had called a truce for this precious holiday. Even the villains were taking the day off. The Gangreen Gang were playing baseball at the dump (they were playing dirty of course), Sedusa was at her home watching her favourite romance film with a huge box of tissues, Fuzzy Lumpkins was out fishing with his banjo, Betsy, and even Him and Mojo had taken time out to stay home and spend time with their boys. Yes, it was beautiful sight to see. Everyone was happy and at peace. Relaxed.

As the girls sat at home waving out the window at the Professor and Ms. Keane, they couldn't help but feel glad they didn't have to fight crime today. They could relax and play, for once, like normal kids. They had four hours to kill before the professor got back from his date, four hours of total bliss. And how were they spending it?

They had invited a whole pack of girls from school over and they were all stuffing their faces with god knows what kind of junk. There was music playing so loudly from the corner that Blossom couldn't hear herself think, let alone hear all the girls singing along to "Hot n' Cold" by Katy Perry. The room was packed with teen girls, and our three super girls, crowded together in the centre of the room, were having then time of their lives.

…Yeah not really.

In actual fact, there was no huge crowd of girls in the house, the Powerpuffs weren't shoving every candy ever invented into their mouths, and they certainly were not having the time of their lives.

To be honest it was just Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, and all three of them were staring blankly at the TV, almost dead with boredom. You could practically see their souls being sucked right out of them with every tick of the clock. Tedious does not even begin to describe it.

All three of them were in this near death state when Buttercup was hit with a sudden (and rare) stroke of brilliance. Or what she likes to call brilliance, anyway.

Leaping up, she broke the silence like a hammer to glass, making Bubbles jump at her booming voice ringing in the deadened silence.

"Why don't we invite someone over for a game of Dares? I'm sure Mitch Mitchelson would be up for it!"

Now, although her idea was not exactly original, and both Blossom and Bubbles had thought of it long before their green sister had, Buttercup had been the one to voice it, and neither girl was willing to dismiss what the hot tempered Powerpuff obviously thought was the best idea ever. Therefore, although both girls despised Mitch with venom, neither of them objected when Buttercup advanced on the phone. And besides, who were they to let a good game of Dares pass them by?

Buttercup punched in Mitch's cell number and tapped her foot impatiently as the phone rang. And rang. And rang.

Just as Buttercup was about to slam the phone down in frustration he answered in a cheerful voice, which was just a bit unusual for him. Buttercup was a little surprised but that didn't slow her down for long.

"Yo Mitch, wassup'? It's me, BC. I was wonderin' if you'd like to come over for a game of Dares? How about it?" she said, expecting him to accept. Mitch loved Dares and he never passed a chance to play. Never. Needless to say, he was quite good at it too. He never quit, no matter how outrageous the dare was. So, of course, you understand why our green puff was surprised when he declined.

"Sorry, BC, can't make it. I'm at the pond in the park with Princess. I'm teaching her to skip stones" he chuckled, and continued in a whisper. "She's really bad at it."

In the background Buttercup could hear Princess protesting. Surprisingly, the short tempered rich girl didn't sound that angry, for a change. In fact, and it sickened Buttercup to admit it, Princess sounded like she was having the time of her life.

The last thing Buttercup heard was the sound of Mitch's laughter, before he hung up on her. Buttercup gawped.

"P-P-Princess and …M-Mitch? Together?! HAVING FUN?!!!" Buttercup almost screamed. That stupid little spoilt brat had brainwashed Mitch. _Her _best friend. What a prize cow.

Buttercup heard Blossom laugh and glared at her.

"What?" she snapped.

Blossom smirked at her scowling sister.

"You better calm down, Buttercup, or your eyes won't be the only thing that's green."

Buttercup sat down, frowning. She was so not jealous. No way. Stupid idea.

Bubbles piped up.

"What are we supposed to do now? Dares is no fun with just us three." Blossom sighed. Her blonde baby sister was right. Dares was no fun without more people.

Buttercup tried every number on her cell, but no one was available.

"I'm with my family, Buttercup. Sorry, but this is important."

"Can't make it BC. I've got plans."

"Love to, but my boyfriend's taking me out. Sorry."

Not one person would come. A few people didn't even pick up. The puffs were running out of ideas, and fast. All three of them scowled in silence, until eventually Bubbles sighed in exasperation.

"Why? The one time we can actually have fun and nobody's around! This is so unfair!" And at that, Bubbles crossed her arms, and proceeded to pout at the nearest wall, close to tears. On the sofa, Buttercup was venting her anger on an old cushion. A very unfortunate old cushion. Blossom turned to think. She was the leader, and the smartest Powerpuff, after all. She had to find a solution before her sisters turned on each other.

_Think, Blossom, think. C'mon, brain, work already!_

But her brain was working overtime, and she couldn't think of anything. It was one of the rare occasions that Blossom couldn't find a solution, and it irked her. Just as she was about to admit she was utterly stumped, it hit her.

Well, more like tapped her. It was just a passing thought, one of those ideas you usually dismiss before they've properly formed in your head. It was completely ridiculous. It couldn't possibly work.

Except this time, the idea just wouldn't go away. And, the more she considered it, the less ridiculous it seemed to get, until she was certain it could work. Besides, what other ideas were there? None.

So she stood abruptly, shouting: "I have an idea!" and sped through the open window towards Townsville, leaving her two sisters blinking in surprise.


	2. Some things never change

Mojo Jojo opened the door and looked at his unexpected visitor. Two large, pink eyes stared up at him. Stepping back in surprise, he looked Blossom up and down, scowling at her. He knew she wasn't here to sell cookies. Was she here to ruin his plans? Destroy his home? Break some of his bones?

It was World Peace Day, so that probably wasn't what she had in mind. But what did she want? He didn't like having her around. The sooner she left the better.

Of course, he could have destroyed her right there and then. She didn't have her sisters there to help her. It would have saved him an awful lot of trouble, and it would have been easy. He had a ray gun at his belt. One second was all it would take.

But he didn't touch the gun. It was World Peace Day, and although he was evil (psychotic, misunderstood, whatever floats your boat), he was capable of being an extremely respectable citizen when it suited him.

So, respecting the tradition of the holiday, he let his hand fall away from the ray gun. He did have _some_ morale, after all.

Glancing at her, he realised she was smiling at him. In his surprise, he let his guard down for an instant, and he smiled back at her.

But just for an instant.

Nonetheless, Blossom saw him smile, and it bolstered her confidence. She had been worried that Mojo would try to kill her or something, and it made her nervous. She had almost turned back three times on the way over; although it wasn't just her life she had been worried about. For some reason, she just _needed _this plan to work, and she had no idea why.

"Can I help you?"

She looked up and took a breath. Mojo sounded like he was getting impatient, and that was the last thing Blossom needed. She met his gaze and raised her voice.

"I'm here to see the boys, if that's okay."

Mojo nodded wordlessly, a little puzzled. If he was correct, his boys hadn't gone near those Powerpuffs in a long time. As he turned to call his sons, he struggled to figure out what the red-headed puff was up to.

"Boys! You have a visitor!" he called. Seconds passed. No response. Mojo scowled. Why were his boys so disobedient? Especially when they had a visitor! It was utterly disgraceful.

"Boys, get down here, there is someone to see you!"

He raised his voice a little, and Blossom could tell he was getting angry. They waited. Then there came the reply:

"We're busy monkey man! Get rid of 'em!"

Blossom kept a wary eye on Mojo as he growled and clenched his fists. He waited for a few more moments, until his temper could take no more and he let out a blood curdling shriek of fury.

"COME DOWN NOW OR YOU CAN SPEND A WEEK IN HELL WITH THAT DEMON YOU CALL MOMMY!!!"

Blossom took a step back from Mojo with ringing ears. She was lucky the Professor didn't yell like that. It almost made her feel sorry for the Rowdyruffs, having such an unstable father figure. As Mojo stepped aside to let her in the doorway, he forced a strained smile that didn't really look like a smile, and Blossom edged her way around him, not sure if it was safe to get too close to him yet.

However, Mojo's parenting seemed to have gotten through to his sons, because seconds later she heard a lot of crashing and thumping, and three boys came hurtling down the hallway towards her, shouting at Mojo.

"Geez pops keep your hair on, we're comin'!"

On the left was Boomer, the blonde, blue-eyed ruff, Bubbles' counterpart. He looked a lot like Blossom's timid sister, but he was really nothing like her. Blossom knew that well enough from past experiences. Boomer was D-U-M-B. Spelled with a B.

On the other hand, Buttercup's raven-haired, green-eyed counterpart, Butch, shared one very important characteristic with the green Powerpuff. They were both as tough as nails, and always itching for a fight. Yes, anyone could tell they were counterparts. Blossom sighed and rolled her eyes, fixing her gaze on the boy in the middle.

Brick, the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys. Her counterpart.

She supposed he did look a little bit like her, what with the long red hair and all. But her hair was soft and shiny, and his was unkempt.

And there was no mistaking his eyes for hers. Blossom had smiling pink eyes. Brick had scarlet orbs that were always accompanied by his customary smirk.

As for personality, they were like chalk and cheese. He was rude, mean and obnoxious. He was nothing like her.

It was then that they spotted her standing beside the monkey, and all three brothers froze. Brick glared viciously at her as all three boys clenched their fists and got ready to attack. Blossom stepped back in fear. They wouldn't fight her on World Peace Day would they? That would ruin everything.

Thankfully, they didn't pounce on her right away. Brick floated towards her instead. Smiling evilly he stopped when they were face to face.

"Come to suffer a beating, babe?" he said, smiling obnoxiously. He was begging for her to react, to lose her temper. And she was sorely tempted to do just that.

But she was here on a mission, and fighting wouldn't get her anywhere. She had two extremely bored, super-powered sisters at home. If she didn't hurry the house would be reduced to rubble, and she would get the blame. As usual.

So she bit back a scathing reply, and smiled at Brick instead.

"Not exactly. I was just going to ask if…" Blossom faltered. She was going to sound so stupid; those Rowdyruffs wouldn't be able to resist laughing at her. Flushing red, she hung her head. Why did she even come here? Her plan was obviously not going to work.

It took her a while to realise that Brick was no longer smirking, but watching her curiously instead. So, trying to look braver than she felt, she continued.

"Since, you know, we're supposed to be making peace and everything…I was just wondering if you'd like to have a game of Dares with my sisters and me. Instead of fighting like we always do."

Blossom finished by biting down on her bottom lip. She braced herself, expecting them to mock her. After a few moments of complete silence she looked up to see three surprised faces staring back at her. And, for the first time ever, Brick Jojo was completely, uncharacteristically, and astonishingly silent. He wasn't laughing at her or mocking her. He wasn't smirking at her or insulting her either.

He was actually thinking about what she had said.

He turned to look at his brothers as if asking them wordlessly what they thought about the idea of playing Dares with their arch enemies. The two boys shrugged, and then nodded at him. Brick looked back to Blossom. She held her breath, hardly daring to believe it. Brick paused, thinking. Then he smirked, back to his old mocking self again.

"Sure, we'll play Dares with you powder-puffs, since we've got nothing better to do."

Behind them, Mojo scowled and stalked off to another room, grumbling about "those snotty, ungrateful brats". All three boys cackled at the unfortunate monkey, and then floated towards the door. Blossom didn't move, still trying to figure out if she had heard Brick right. She snapped out of her daze when she heard the boys calling to her.

"Hurry it up Pink; we're not stalkers you know. We don't know how to get to your place."

"Yeah powder-puff get a move on!"

"Shut up, Boomer."

Blossom shook her head and smiled. She had spoken to the Rowdyruff Boys for at least five minutes, and yet she had no broken bones. Things were going well today. As she flew out the door with the ruffs following behind her, she heard Brick speak.

"Just so you know Blossy, this isn't going to be a regular thing. I'm still gonna' kick your butt after this is over, got it?

Blossom smirked. Some things never change.


	3. Etiquette

_A/N: Sorry for the late update- my computer kept playing up. Hope this chapter is okay! Okay my next chapter is definitely going to be inside the house (AT LAST!!!) This chapter is pretty much about how each character behaves around their counterpart. It basically gets the characters into the house. It doesn't physically progress the story, but it gives you a nice look into the ruffs' and puffs' personalities. So it's _very _important. _

_Once again I'll remind you all that reviews are really important to me and I would really appreciate it if you'd click the little button at the bottom of this page. :-D _

_Thanks!_

"Here we are! Home sweet home!" Blossom landed softly on the lawn, noting with some relief that the house was still standing. Her sisters, thankfully, hadn't been fighting. Things were going well.

As she walked towards the door, she heard the boys whispering behind her.

"Dude, her house is, like, wow."

"Geez, Boomer I think we've all noticed that."

The three boys gazed at her house in awe as she knocked on the door. It seemed so neat and clean and…normal. Homely.

Mojo's house was far from homely. It was filled with steel and glass and contraptions of every size and shape imaginable. The floor was always cluttered up with scrap metal and debris. It was great if you needed something to throw at someone, but it wasn't a _home._

Him's place was no better. Floating on a pink fluffy cloud in the middle of hell, it wasn't exactly comfortable. The boys hated going down there. They weren't _scared _of hell or anything; going down there just made them…uncomfortable. Especially since Satan kept making house calls.

In comparison the Powerpuff house was like a breath of fresh air. Not too big, not too small, just perfect, average size. Completely perfect.

The door burst open, interrupting the boys' reverie. Four pairs of eyes flicked to the two angry figures standing in the doorway. Buttercup and Bubbles had spotted the three little criminals through the window, and they were not happy. At least, they didn't _look _happy. Buttercup was glaring at the Rowdyruffs, particularly Butch, who smirked and winked at her (which, of course, only made her angrier). Bubbles, on the other hand, was looking at Blossom in suspicion. Although she didn't say anything, it was clear what she was thinking.

_What are you up to?_

Blossom stepped between her sisters and the ruffs before they could start something. She had to be very careful, or Butch and Buttercup would go for each other, and if Boomer joined the scuffle Bubbles wouldn't be far behind him.

"Blossom, what the HELL are they doing in front of our house? You didn't invite them, did you?"

Buttercup stared at Blossom incredulously as the red-head smiled sheepishly.

Buttercup looked at Bubbles, completely abashed. Why had Blossom, the_ smart _one, brought their arch enemies directly to their house?

"This was my plan."

Blossom gestured to the Rowdyruff Boys as she said this, and Bubbles and Buttercup blinked at her in surprise. Was she insane?

"But before you get mad at me, just listen to what I've got to say."

Buttercup stared at her sister for a few moments, before relaxing and stepping back to listen. Blossom _sounded_ like her usual, sensible self. She must have had some idea of what she was doing.

Blossom smiled with relief. She had begun to doubt she would ever get inside the house. Taking a breath, she spoke.

"It's World Peace Day, right?"

Her sisters nodded. So did Boomer, until Brick saw him and slapped him around the head.

"It's a day where people put aside their differences and enjoy life, yeah?"

Again the girls nodded, seeing where this was going.

"That's what we're doing. I've invited them around for a nice_, friendly_ game of Dares. It can't hurt, can it? We're bored- so are they. It makes sense."

Her sisters frowned, thinking.

"C'mon girls. It's just for one day. And I think we _all _need a break."

The two puffs paused. It did sound like a good plan, and it was true, they did need a break. But could the Rowdyruffs be trusted?

The two girls looked sideways at each other. Did it really matter? Even if the ruffs did try something (which would be stupid, even by male standards) they would be ready for them. It was worth a try, if only to keep Blossom happy for a while.

So they nodded at their sister, who smiled gratefully and turned to the boys. She paused for a moment, and they raised their heads curiously. Blossom grinned.

"You can go in now, its safe."

Boomer and Butch hi-fived and flew at the door. It was about time. At the rate they had been going, all six of them would have been camping outside the house until Christmas.

Butch was about to enter the house when Buttercup collared him. Smirking, she pushed past him.

"Ladies first, Butch."

Butch rubbed his neck, grinning. _Man, that girl's strong._

"Lady? Where?" he muttered, a little too loudly. Of course, saying that only earned him a red hand mark on the side of his face. Unfazed by his hostess's less than welcoming attitude, he continued into the house after her, rubbing his jaw.

Behind him, Boomer had decided to be a little more cautious with Bubbles. A blow to his already bruised head was the last thing he needed. So he stepped aside quickly to let Bubbles in the door ahead of him, and kept quiet, well aware of the injuries she would inflict on him if provoked. She could turn from sweet to sour in seconds. She walked past him, smiling politely, and a beaming Boomer managed to enter the house unscathed.

That is, until the unfortunate boy tripped and smacked his head off the doorframe.

"Ouch, jeez this hurts!"

Bubbles winced as Boomer stumbled forward, in the direction of the living room.

"I'll go get some ice."

Blossom cringed. She would have to go easy on the physical dares or Boomer would collapse.

As she made to go inside after the blue ruff she realised Brick hadn't moved an inch. He was standing a few feet away from her, staring hard at something she couldn't quite see. He was thinking about something, and Blossom was curious as to what. Taking a step towards him, she spoke up.

"Brick?"

His head snapped up and he looked at her closely, as if seeing her for the first time. There was an awkward silence that seemed to stretch on to eternity, as Blossom felt the words she had been about to say dissolve into nothing on her tongue.

It was peculiar for Blossom to be at a loss for words. She had always been talkative, ever since she'd been created. As the leader, she felt obliged to say what was on her mind, which was usually quite a lot. She _always _knew what to say.

And now she had absolutely no idea what to say, just because Brick Jojo had given her his complete, undivided attention for the first time ever. Strange.

Brick grinned, and shook his head.

"Sorry," he said "I was just admiring your lawn. He jerked his head at the neat stripes of grass under his feet, and smirked.

Hearing him speak in his usual, mocking tone, Blossom instantly regained control of her tongue. Smiling at him, she replied.

"You won't find it on my face, Brick."

Bingo. Blossom was back.

Brick smirked back at her, looking a little surprised. Blossom grinned to herself. _Good._

Sidestepping around him she walked towards the door. He followed her and they reached the door at the same time. Shocking Blossom, Brick stepped aside and held out a hand to lead her through the door before him. Blossom, taken aback by this uncharacteristic act of gallantry, took his hand without thinking, and went inside ahead of him. It was only then did she hear him chuckle to himself.

"Age before beauty, Blossy."

Blossom sighed and shook her head, but couldn't help but grin. _Should've seen that one coming._


	4. Butch being Butch

Yaaaaaaay! I'm back, and I bring a new chapter with me! Time to get this show on the road. I'd like to thank my computer for supporting me as I typed this chapter (it didn't shut down once!) I'd also like to thank all my amazing reviewers for being real nice and giving me truckloads of advice! Hey cool that rhymes! Love you guys :D

Chapter Four

"Hey Blossom! Where are you? The game's about to start!"

Blossom looked up at the sound of Buttercup's voice, and quickly snatched the six-pack of cola from the kitchen counter. Closing the fridge door with her foot she made her way into the living room, and looked at the crowd on the sofa.

The sofa had always been large enough to hold the three girls, and Blossom had always assumed it was a bit spacey for a couch. But looking at it now, she realised how wrong she was.

Buttercup and Bubbles were sandwiched in the middle between Butch and Boomer, who looked like they were trying to force Brick off the couch. Brick wasn't having any of that and was trying to pull Butch off with him. The sofa looked tiny beneath the sprawling boys, and Blossom knew there was no way she would ever fit on it.

She crossed the room and placed the cans of cola on the floor beside her beanbag, before sinking into it to observe the struggle on the couch. Laughing, she shook her head in disbelief. A group of fourteen year olds fighting over a sofa was unbelievably funny, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Butch get your butt out of my face!"

"Get your shoe out of it first!"

"Boomer for god's sake, would you and your brothers just move?!"

"Hey I'm injured, I need the couch!"

"Look out below!"

Brick was about to make a running dive for the sofa when Blossom grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Looking back at her he grinned, trying to look innocent. The scuffle on the sofa ceased, and all eyes were on Brick and Blossom.

Blossom smiled mockingly and gestured at the blue beanbag that was sitting near hers.

"I dare you to sit over there and behave."

Brick shrugged, and sank into the beanbag without complaining. His brothers jeered at him from the couch, and they settled down, making space for themselves. Butch was dumped unceremoniously on the arm of the couch by Buttercup, leaving them all with plenty of room.

Blossom grinned. Hopefully there would be no further scuffles over the seating arrangements, and they could start. Everyone looked happy enough, sipping quietly at their drinks. Buttercup sat up abruptly.

"Time to get this show on the road!" said Buttercup, grinning. "Anyone mind if I go first?"

Everyone shook their heads and Buttercup's grin widened. Slumping in her seat for a moment, she cast her eyes around the room, searching for inspiration. Her eyes flickered to Butch's arrogant smile and she grinned evilly, chuckling to herself. Blossom could tell her sister had something good up her sleeve, and she smiled.

"Has anyone ever seen Blossom give someone a wedgie?"

They shook their heads, grinning, and Butch laughed. Everyone glanced at him, and Blossom frowned. Did he think she wasn't capable of giving someone a wedgie?

"Blossom? Giving someone a wedgie? I'd love to see that!"

Buttercup beamed and clapped him on the back, surprising everyone. Butch looked at her, puzzled. She smiled and looked at Blossom.

"That suits me fine. You can even tell us what it feels like."

Blossom grinned as Butch's smirk disappeared. Boomer and Brick jeered at their brother. Buttercup chuckled and nodded at Blossom.

"I dare you to endure three minutes of torture from my sis' without begging for mercy. Are up to it?"

Butch glared at her, and then he forced a smile and shrugged. Smirking, he looked Blossom up and down. She wasn't very big, and she didn't look very experienced at giving wedgies.

"You're on. Girls give rubbish wedgies anyway." Smirking, he stood up. "Go ahead, powderpuff. Give it your best shot."

Blossom smiled sourly back at him. "My pleasure, Butch."

With that she lunged at the green eyed ruffian, and grabbed hold of his underpants. Giving him a few seconds to feel the fear, she yanked them upwards with a vicious tug. Butch cursed in pain, but he laughed shakily and looked back at Blossom with a smirk on his lips. There was no way he was going to let himself look weak in front of his brothers, or the Powerpuffs.

Forcing a smirk he wheezed, "What? That all you've got? Pathetic." He laughed and shook his head, and Blossom scowled. If that boy didn't watch himself he'd end up with some serious injuries.

Nonetheless, Blossom hesitated. Although Butch was seriously starting to rile her, she didn't want to break his spine…yet. The Rowdyruffs probably wouldn't appreciate any damage done to their brother, and it would ruin the whole friendly atmosphere they had achieved in the room.

She was still deliberating when she heard Brick speak behind her.

"Go on Blossy. You know you want to. If you break anything, it's his own fault." She glanced around at Brick and grinned to herself. That was practically permission to torture Butch! Smiling wickedly, she turned back to the unfortunate boy and pulled his underpants up even harder, making him hiss in pain. Butch turned red, but still refused to scream.

Blossom frowned in thought, and looked up. She smiled, seemed to consider it for a moment, and then swiftly flew up to the ceiling, grinning like a bobcat. As Butch felt his feet leave the ground, he began to panic. Dangling five feet off the ground by the crotch of his pants was not Butch's idea of fun. He was starting to feel serious discomfort downstairs, and gravity certainly wasn't helping.

So when he caught sight of the electric fan and finally realised what Blossom was planning, his reaction was far from happy. He uttered a string of colourful curses, and thrashed in Blossom's grip.

"Put me down, NOW! This isn't funny!"

Blossom ignored Butch as he shrieked incoherently at her. He clawed at her arms, trying (and failing) to make her let go. It was a long drop to the floor, but Butch was willing to risk it. Unfortunately for him, he never made it down, and could only curse in outrage as Blossom hung him on the electric fan.

The fan creaked under his weight, but otherwise held firm. He tried to detach himself from it, but his efforts were wasted. Blossom smirked to herself, and descended to join the others, who were laughing uncontrollably at him. Butch scowled and flushed from the discomfort, cursing some more as his brothers stood up to take pictures.

As he swung there, he began to wonder when they would take him down. If they left him spinning on the fan for much longer he would have no choice but to vomit over them. The thought made him smile, and he imagined them gasping in disgust, while he crowed at his revenge. Sure, it was a lame way to get back at someone, but it would have been funny.

He chuckled to himself, glad to have some distraction while his companions mocked him from below.

An ominous ripping noise made him freeze, and the whole room went quiet. Everyone sat a little straighter in their seats, and gave Butch their full, undivided attention. They watched him intently, grinning, waiting with baited breath for the piece de resistance. Butch paled, and silently begged his trousers not to give way.

Sadly, the strain was too great, and Butch's pants were ripped clean in two. The battered boy was thrown to the floor with half his trousers, and none of his pride. The other half of his trousers (which were in even worse shape than Butch) remained caught on the blades of the fan. His brothers roared with laughter as the green ruff hit the floor, and the girls giggled. As Brick and Boomer went over to help Butch up, Buttercup grinned at Blossom.

"Not bad. Not bad at all."

"You do know Butch is going to get you and me for that, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

Buttercup fell silent as Butch stumbled over to the couch and sat down. She grinned at him and said "Sorry about putting you through all that, Butchie." Groaning, he glanced up to look at Blossom, who smirked back at him. Shaking his head groggily, he forced a smirk.

"That… was weak, puff."

Blossom sighed in exasperation, and settled into her beanbag. Butch sat up and examined the tattered remains of his pants. Growling, he discarded the frayed material and pulled his sweater down to his knees, trying to preserve what was left of his dignity.

Looking up, he glared at Buttercup.

"My turn." He grinned ominously, baring his teeth at her.

* * *

"Dammit Butch, if I ever get the chance I am going to KILL YOU!" Buttercup shrieked and slapped Butch over the head, trying to grab for the lime green scrap of material he clutched to his chest. Her sisters were too busy laughing their guts out to help her, and Buttercup threw them a filthy look. Unfortunately they didn't see it.

Butch giggled like a kindergartener, and leaped over the couch to escape Buttercup's wrath. His brothers were laughing uncontrollably at her, and as she chased Butch around the living room they cheered and whooped for their brother.

"WOO! Go Butch!"

"YEAH! Keep going bro'!"

"Watch out, she's behind you!"

"Bubbles, what the hell?! You're supposed to be on MY team!"

"Sorry Buttercup… Wait, there are teams?!"

Buttercup rolled her eyes at her blonde sister, and then lunged, snarling, at Butch. She caught hold of his foot and he stumbled to the ground. He tried to scramble away, but Buttercup dragged him back and snatched for the bundle in Butch's hand. She got a grip on it, and dragged at it like it was the rope in a game of tug-of-war. Butch laughed at her and hung on.

"Cool it, Butterfingers! This is a dare, remember?!"

Buttercup glared, and pulled harder.

"You told me to take it off, not to give it to you so you could run up and down the street with it! NOW GIVE IT!"

"Calm down, it's just a bra!"

Buttercup reached out and thumped Butch on the shoulder, glaring ferociously at him. He released the undergarment abruptly, cursing in pain, and Buttercup fell backwards. In an instant she was on her feet, with murder in her eyes. Butch scowled at her and rubbed his arm.

"Jeez, take it easy!"

Buttercup frowned at him and sat down, tucking the bra away out of sight. As he approached the arm of the couch, she pursed her lips angrily. He sighed. She would be looking daggers at him all day now.

He lowered himself cautiously onto the arm of the couch, watching her in case she decided to attack him. When she didn't, he relaxed into a comfortable position and waited for the laughter to die down. Eventually everyone stopped chuckling, and Butch raised his voice to speak.

Before he could start, Buttercup reached out with both hands and shoved him off the sofa. With a startled yell he toppled over, to the amusement of everyone in the room, who exploded into peals of laughter. Buttercup smirked and pulled Butch onto his feet, laughing at him.

"Now we're even."

He sighed, then grinned and sat down next to the temperamental puff. Clapping his hands together, he grinned.

"Who's next?"

Bubbles stood up, beaming.

"My turn!"


	5. Don't Panic!

Happy New Year everybody!!! This was supposed to go up last week, but thanks to all the snow, it got a bit delayed. Then I decided that chapter 5 was way too long, and I split it in two. Besides, the second dare is WAY more interesting than the one in this chapter, and I think it deserved a chapter all to itself. So here it is. Chapter five will be my Christmas gift to you. Please Read and Review! :D

Bubbles clapped her hands excitedly, and beamed. She had been itching to contribute to the game for _so long_, and she wanted to impress everyone with something good. That is, if the Rowdyruff Boys could ever be impressed by something they haven't done. But at least she had her sisters, who were more easily amused.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought. Something good. It didn't have to be original, just entertaining enough to keep everyone happy.

It took her a while to come up with something. She was a very finicky type of person, and found it difficult to make up her mind at times. She was a people pleaser by nature, and she was struggling to think of a dare that everyone would approve of.

Fortunately, just as everyone was beginning to get restless, she spotted the phone. She grinned, satisfied with the idea, and considered who her victim should be. It took her only a moment to decide who was perfect for the role.

Her eyes flicked to Blossom, and the pink Powerpuff girl tensed. Bubbles was cute and innocent, sure. She was famous for being adorable. But she was no amateur. Even though her dares weren't usually challenging, they were always entertaining. Or at least, they were entertaining for the people who didn't have to carry out the dare. Bubbles knew how to please a crowd.

"I dare Blossom to prank call the Mayor."

The boys cheered in approval and Boomer grinned, pleasantly surprised. Prank calls? He hadn't expected that from Bubbles. It was as if she'd read his mind. And Buttercup's too.

It was the perfect dare for Blossom, and was guaranteed to give them all a laugh. Why? Because, although Blossom almost always achieved perfection in everything she did, she was nothing less than dreadful when it came to prank calls.

Truth is, Blossom detested them, and had only ever made one in her entire life. It did not go well. All luck seemed to desert her the second she tried to trick someone.

It wasn't as if she came up with lame pranks. Oh no. In fact, it was quite the opposite. She was good at tricking people. Too good.

You see, when you prank call someone, eventually they've got to figure out that it's all a joke. Unfortunately, Blossom's victim had believed every word, which resulted in pure disaster.

To be fair, she hadn't meant to scare Mojo at all. At least, not _that _much. Impersonating his mother hadn't seemed like such a bad idea at the time. What could be the consequences of telling Mojo that she was coming to visit?

Blossom certainly hadn't expected the arrival of an entire army of zoo keepers. Armed with tranquilizer guns. Drugged darts flew everywhere, and Blossom had been trapped inside a phone box for almost an hour, trying to convince them that no, she was not hiding an illegally imported gorilla.

Turned out Mojo was absolutely terrified of Mama Jojo, and wanted her kept in a high security zoo as far away from him as possible. When he found out that the whole thing was a joke, he was furious, and embarrassed that he had allowed himself to look so ridiculously scared in front of his arch nemesis. But how was Blossom supposed to have known that his mum was a 10 foot gorilla, without a nurturing bone in her body? It was just bad luck that she'd called him instead of Fuzzy Lumpkins, or a member of the Gangrene Gang.

Bad luck or not, Blossom still looked horrified. What was Bubbles thinking?! Knowing her luck, this dare would probably cause an international incident. It would all end in disaster. She would be humiliated, all over again.

Then again…

Hadn't she risked worse humiliation just a half hour ago, standing in a hallway, surrounded by her arch-enemies? She had been scared then, too. And yet look at them now. Sitting together in that big room, anyone would think they had all been friends for life. In the end, it had been worth the risk.

Blossom was always a proud person, and she was frightened of looking stupid and vulnerable in front of other people. She always had to look strong, and keep on top of things. As the leader, she had to be one step ahead and never let the enemy see her stumble. But she had said herself that they all needed a break. Didn't she deserve to give herself a break too?

After a moment's hesitation, she grinned and stood up, reaching for the phone. Looking at her sisters and the boys, she grinned.

"You're on, Bubbles."

As she dialled the Mayor, she frowned in concentration, trying to come up with something good. She set it on loud speaker while she was waiting, so the others could hear. The phone continued to ring, sounding loud in the silence, until she was almost tempted to slam it down. The Mayor was probably struggling with the pickle jar again, which meant he wouldn't be able to pick up the phone for another few hours.

Still the phone rang, and Blossom had her doubts that the Mayor was even in his office. She was about to put the phone down when suddenly the Mayor's voice spilled out of the earpiece.

"This is the Mayor of Townsville. Who is speaking?"

Blossom almost dropped the phone. She had been ready to hang up when the Mayor answered, and now she couldn't remember what to say. Her brain had abandoned her.

"I-I… um…m-my name is …uh…"

She panicked as she struggled for words, completely mortified. Of all the times for her brain to fail her, it had to be now. She didn't know what she wanted to do more- scream, or cry.

Then suddenly, Brick (who was seated next to the phone) tugged on her wrist so the others wouldn't see, and whispered under his breath.

"Calm down. Your name is Hugo. German accent."

Brick was trying to help her.

After the initial shock, the knot in her chest relaxed. She had a name to give the Mayor. And if she was lucky, none of the others had noticed the full extent of her panic.

She gave Brick a grateful look, and replied to the Mayor before he got the chance to hang up on her. She lowered her voice, and faked a German accent, praying that it sounded authentic.

"Hallo, Mister Mayor. I am Hugo."

There was a short pause on the other end of the line. Blossom bit her lip as she listened to the phone crackling. Brick nudged her again, and mouthed "go on". Blossom nodded at him and continued to speak, making it up as she went along. Thankfully, her brain was back in working order, and the lies came easily.

"I am from Picloslavia, in Europe. I haff big news for you Mister Mayor!"

The Mayor finally replied.

"Oh, goodie! Is it good news?! No, don't tell me! I like surprises!"

The Rowdyruff boys snorted. The Mayor acted like someone younger than they were.

Blossom finally relaxed, and allowed herself a smile. She turned to the room at large, and grinned at them. Brick saw, and was surprised to feel relief. Good old Blossom was back.

"You see Mister Mayor, I find out days ago that I haff long lost brother who is Mayor of Townsville, in America! He is you! You are him! Now I find you, I wish to see you. You come to Picloslavia for to see me?"

Everyone in the room smirked, not daring to laugh, in case the Mayor overheard them. The Mayor meant well, but he was gullible, and it was just funny to see him fall for such a ridiculous trick. Blossom had managed to pull it off so far.

The Mayor replied quietly, as if he was speaking to himself.

"Well… I don't know. I'm very busy at the moment. And Mommy says I shouldn't visit strangers…"

Mayor's voice trailed off in uncertainty. Blossom stifled a laugh. She felt a tiny bit guilty about tricking him, but he'd see the funny side of it. He always did with Buttercup, who loved to wind him up on a regular basis.

She looked down for a second and saw Brick smile knowingly at her. They both mouthed the same word.

_Pickles._

"Shame, shame. Here I wanted to show you my home. Beautiful mountains everywhere, and our very own pickle farm. Did you know that we grow almost twenty different-?"

Blossom was interrupted by a loud crashing sound on the Mayor's end, and her eyes went wide. Was the Mayor all right? She looked at her audience fearfully. They all seemed to be thinking the same thing as her. Had he simply fainted at the idea of twenty different breeds of pickle, or had he collapsed in shock? Had she given him a heart attack? WAS HE DEAD???

"Mayor…are you there?"

Oh god_. _It was the tranquilizer fiasco all over again, only worse. She was going to be thrown in jail for at least ten years, maybe more, her reputation would be ruined, she would never get a decent job, they might even have her EXECUTED, she was, as Buttercup would say, completely and utterly f-

"So sorry, Hugo. I'm afraid I… uh… tripped. Anyway, where was I? A pickle farm, you say? It sounds nice. Oh go on then. You've twisted my arm. I suppose I could take a few days off. In fact, I'll leave right away! Picloslavia, is it?"

The Mayor continued to mumble to himself, before he hung up. Blossom could only stare at the phone, and wait for her heart to slow down. So the Mayor wasn't dead. He was alive and well, and on his way to meet his imaginary brother. She had actually survived. She had actually done a good job!

She heard an outburst of laughter behind her, and turned to see everyone rushing to the window. Frowning, she ran over and peeked out with them. For a moment all she could see were the neat rows of houses stretched out along the street, and the cityscape in the background. But then a flash of silver came trundling up the street, and Blossom couldn't help but chuckle along with the others.

The flash of silver was a car, and inside that car was Townsville's very own Mayor. By the looks of it, the Mayor had gotten used to being driven around in a limousine by a chauffer, and hadn't laid hands on a steering wheel in years. The car (which they had to assume was his) was a twenty year old, beat up Chevrolet that looked like it was about to fall apart any minute. And what's worse, the Mayor was driving it on the wrong side of the road.

They all collapsed with laughter. If the Mayor even reached the motorway in that thing, he'd be pulled in and sent home by the cops. In a way, Blossom's prank would probably teach him a lesson. His driver's licence was probably expired, if he couldn't even remember to drive on the right side of the road. He'd remember to take the limo next time.

Blossom returned to her seat, relieved. The whole thing had gone pretty well. Ok, fine, not really. But compared to her first prank call, tricking the Mayor had gone without a hitch. You know, besides the numerous panic attacks, and her brain falling out the back of her head at the start, and so on.

Bubbles took her seat next to Boomer, and smiled proudly. It had been a good idea. Blossom would probably kill her later, but at least Buttercup was on her side for this one. Besides, nothing bad had happened. Sure, the Mayor might get a ticket, but he wouldn't care. He probably didn't know what a driving ticket was.

Silence fell as everyone settled down, and everyone looked expectantly at Boomer. He grinned and stood up, confident that his dare was pretty darn good one. He chuckled to himself for a second, and everyone sat up, wondering who would be picked next. Boomer looked at each and every one of them, trying to choose.

He needed someone who wasn't going to chicken out. Someone who loved a challenge, no matter how humiliating.

"I dare my brother Brick to swap clothes with Blossom."

* * *

Oh. My. God.

Boomer is a GENIUS! Next chapter is gonna' be awesome!!!

I feel really sorry for Brick though.


	6. Hate, Love and Girliness

A/N: This was such a late update, I'm so sorry! I had the flu so I was exhausted for ages, but that's no excuse.

This was definitely my favourite chapter so far, it was so fun to write! You know how the boys hate having their masculinity threatened? Well Brick is the worst, as you will soon see. Enjoy chapter six!

CHAPTER SIX: Love, Hate and Girliness

"Looking good, Blossy. Pink polka-dots suit you."

"Brick I swear to god if you look at me one more time, I will kill you."

Blossom looked around at Brick and glared at him. His red eyes stared back, and he grinned cheekily at the blushing girl. If he had to walk around in girl's clothes for the rest of the day, he was going to enjoy himself first.

"It was a compliment, babe. Jeez, don't get your panties in a twist."

Blossom growled and threw one of her shoes at him. Brick ducked and chuckled to himself, pulling off his sweater. Blossom wanted so badly to reach over and strangle him, but she wasn't going to fight him half naked. Just the thought of doing something even more degrading than this made her cringe. She tried to stare Brick down instead, but he was already undressed, and those red boxers were making her blush even deeper. Eventually embarrassment got the better of her, and she averted her eyes. She turned around, furious that Brick was being so irritating, and snatched up her clothes.

She threw the bundle at Brick as forcefully as she could, making him stumble backwards. He rolled his eyes, and tossed her his clothes, along with his sneakers. He glanced at the clothes in his arms, and wrinkled his nose at the amount of pink material he saw. He sifted through the girly bundle of material, wondering how he was going to fit into any of it. Then he spotted her red skirt, and made a choking noise. She could have worn shorts or jeans but, no, she had to wear a skirt. A very short skirt. He would never hear the end of this from his brothers.

As Brick reluctantly struggled into her pink T-shirt, Blossom pulled on his sweater, feeling tiny when it fell to her knees. His pants were just as baggy, and she was afraid she would tear them by stepping on the hems. She rolled the waistband of the pants over a few times, and pushed up the sleeves of his jacket, trying to make them look right. Her feet didn't even fill his sneakers, which were about three inches larger than her own. Brick seemed to be getting taller, while Blossom was just shrinking.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and giggled. She didn't look completely ridiculous. In fact, she looked kind of cute. Her hair was completely messed up from getting lost in the sweater, and Blossom liked how the sweater looked on her. Her favourite colour (next to pink) was red, after all. She tugged on the inside of the sleeves, clutching the excess fabric comfortingly, and felt a sudden urge to twirl. Her reflection watched her with sparkling, mischievous looking eyes, as if she was saying _Go on, you know you want to. _Blossom hesitated for only a moment, then let out a giggle and spun around on the spot.

Her hair flew out behind her, and her fingers got tangled in the ends, but she still laughed. It was so funny; she was acting like a whimsical child pretending to be a princess, instead of the level-headed leader girl. It felt totally ridiculous, and Brick was probably laughing at her right now, but she didn't care. She felt like twirling, and there was no-one around to stop her.

As she stopped, her head momentarily dipped inside the neck of the sweater, and Blossom stopped laughing. She came to a halt and pulled the sweater off her face, blushing once more. Her eyes flicked to Brick, who was on the floor, wrestling with her socks, and then looked down at the sweater.

Why didn't this sweater, which belonged to the most boyish boy she knew, reek of sweat and chips, like she had always known it would? He was Brick Jojo, his clothes were supposed to smell ten times worse than any other guy's. It made sense.

But Blossom couldn't smell anything remotely gross off his clothes, as she had expected to. She didn't smell dirty socks or fried food, or any of the usual odours that seemed to follow boys around like flies. Brick's clothes actually smelt good.

Really good.

There wasn't a smell of deodorant on it, and it didn't smell like laundry detergent at all. It smelt… normal. Warm and fresh and… well, nice.

_Snap out of it Blossom. It's just a smell. _

Blossom blinked stupidly and shook her head. She laughed at herself under her breath, and her reflection looked almost apologetic. She was so obsessive, it was ridiculous. What did it matter if Brick smelled entirely different from what she had expected? It was nothing to get worked up about.

She tugged at the ends of her hair, and saw Brick stand up out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened in shock and she turned her full attention to him. He was stumbling in her pumps, which were far too small, and he was cursing loudly to himself. The skirt looked even shorter on Brick than it had on her, and he was glaring down at it as if it had personally insulted him. His face was red, from either embarrassment or anger, and he was bending his knees in an effort to make the skirt look longer. Her pink shirt and white over the knee socks completed the look, and Blossom couldn't help it.

She snorted with laughter, and clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. Justice had been served, and Brick looked far more ridiculous than she ever could have dreamed.

Her counterpart glared at her, his red eyes blazing. He pulled on her skirt in frustration, and swayed as his left foot slipped out of her pumps. He swore again, and tried to regain his balance. Blossom made a strained smile, and struggled not to laugh. She averted her gaze until she was confident she wouldn't burst out laughing. It took a while, but eventually she was able to keep a straight face.

She risked a glance at Brick, and realised that he had managed to regain his balance. He was standing in front of her, with his usual smirk back in place. His smile looked a bit rueful and strained, but he still managed to make it look mocking. His eyebrows were raised, and he looked her up and down. He walked around her like a vulture, taking in every angle of her "new look". Blossom's cheeks were tinged pink, and she felt like he was examining her, waiting to point out that she looked stupid. She tried to stay silent, but eventually self-consciousness got the better of her.

"Um…Brick?"

He came around to face her, and pulled a face, trying to hide a grin. When he spoke his voice was light and mocking.

"Ew, no way do I look that bad. Anyone ever tell you you're tiny, babe? I mean, seriously, I've seen ten year olds that are bigger than you." He shook his head and grinned mischievously at her. Blossom didn't know whether to take that as a compliment, or as an insult. In the end she settled for the former. At least she didn't look like a clown.

Blossom smiled mockingly back at him, and gestured at his outfit. She raised an eyebrow at the skirt, and pointed at it.

"You, on the other hand, really need to get that in a larger size." She looked him in the eye, and tried not to laugh. "If you wear clothes that are too tight, nasty men will try to take advantage."

Blossom chuckled at the look of outrage on the red ruff's face. He looked just about ready to scream every profanity he knew at her. All three of the Rowdyruff's were ridiculously touchy about their masculinity, and Brick was undeniably the worst.

The red-haired puff rolled her eyes and smirked. She loved to wind Brick up, almost as much as he enjoyed annoying her. It was the one thing they had in common.

She continued to look over him, until she caught sight of his cap. Blossom had never, not once, seen Brick without his cap. It was always there, hiding Brick's messy bangs, and he never took it off. Blossom was pretty sure that even his brothers hadn't seen him without it. He probably _showered_ with that red cap on. It was strange, and Blossom had always been curious to see him without it.

Now was her chance.

"Hey Brick. You'll need this." She pointed to the huge bow sitting atop her head, and grinned. This was going to be fun. She was going to get that hat off him if it was the last thing she ever did.

"That means I get your cap."

She laughed at Brick's disgusted expression, and reached for her ribbon. She pulled it out of her long, coppery hair, and dangled it ominously in front of him. He took one look at it and screwed his face up in disgust, leaning away from the offending strand of silk.

A ribbon. It was like asking him to wear a bra, or lipstick. Just thinking about wearing it made him want to vomit all over the pink, fluffy carpet. He was going to look like Dame Edna's coked up grandson with that thing on. Butch and Boomer would be merciless if they caught him wearing it, and if they got _pictures_...

And giving his hat to Blossom was practically suicide. If he even got it back, it would probably smell all girly and flowery for weeks. It was just wrong.

Nonetheless, a dare was a dare, and he wasn't about to chicken out in front of Blossom. That would be wimpy, and he couldn't let his archrival think he was soft. So he snatched the ribbon out of her grasp, swallowing bile, and placed his cap on her head. She smiled and adjusted it, peeking out from underneath the brim. She twisted it around so she was wearing it backwards, the way her counterpart liked to wear it. It made her feel rebellious, as if she was becoming Brick. She glanced at the mirror to make sure her eyes were still pink.

Brick, meanwhile, was staring at the ribbon in his hand, trying to figure out how to get it to stay on his head. There must have been some trick to it, but it wasn't one he knew. How on earth did girls work these things? He had seen a girl do it once, but he wasn't sure he could remember exactly what she did. He fumbled with the ribbon for a while, until his fingers got tangled in it.

Blossom finally realised he was in trouble, and came to his rescue. She untangled the ribbon, smoothed it out, and set to work on Brick's hair. He looked a little bare without his cap, but other than that he looked fine. Blossom was intrigued by his appearance. He looked really different without the hat, and she could see his bangs properly. They were even messier than she had expected, but he was Brick. Messy hair suited him. His hair was almost as long as hers, so it was easy for her to pull some of it back and tie the ribbon around it. She was tempted to make an absolutely huge bow, just to freak him out, but in the end she didn't have the heart, and tied a small bow at the back. He might have been the most annoying person in her life, but he didn't deserve _that._

They stood together in front of the mirror, looking at the finished product. Blossom looked smaller and baggier than ever, and Brick looked… well Brick just looked plain ridiculous. That skirt was still earning worried glances from both of them, as it refused to go lower than his thigh. Brick would have to be extra careful when sitting down in the beanbag or his boxers would be making an appearance, and no-one wanted _that_ to happen.

He gave the skirt a final tug, and gave up. He turned instead to Blossom, and grinned.

"Let's go Blossy. I'd like to get my hands on Boomer as soon as possible."

Blossom smiled, feeling almost sorry for Brick. She was embarrassed already, and she only looked half as bad as he did. His brothers were going to tear him apart, and he knew it. But he still managed to grin, and Blossom had to admire him for that.

She nodded, going red as embarrassment crept back up on her. She stumbled toward the door in the overlarge sneakers, and Brick tottered along behind her, trying not to fall. They floated down the stairs slowly, and entered the living room.

Everyone turned to stare at them. Blossom went beetroot, and Brick glared venomously at his blonde brother. There was silence for about three seconds, and then everyone (except the reds) burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

Butch was bent double on the sofa, finding it desperately hard to breathe, clutching his stomach as laughter shook him. Boomer was gasping and pointing at Brick, and Blossom's two sisters couldn't look at her without laughing.

The unfortunate pair exchanged a glance, then walked as quickly as they could to their seats. Blossom stumbled a few times on the way, but finally managed to throw herself into her beanbag. Brick, however, was making slow progress in the tiny pumps, to the amusement of his brothers. He threw a filthy look over his shoulder at them as he reached the blue beanbag. He sat down, seemed to remember the skirt, and crossed his legs. He frowned, and the muscles in his jaw clenched. They were still laughing at him.

Blossom could see that Brick was getting increasingly embarrassed and angry with every second that ticked by. He looked just about ready to murder Boomer, who was trying to speak.

"Hey, Brick! You make a great drag queen!"

Bubbles snorted with laughter and hi-fived the blue ruff. Brick scowled and rolled his eyes.

"Shut the hell up Boomer. It's my turn now, remember?"

Blossom grinned as the laughter died down. Boomer's grin had disappeared, and he knew he was in trouble. Brick was going to kill him for that. Nobody ever made Brick look girly and got away with it. His brother didn't tolerate that kind of thing, and he certainly did not like having to wear a skirt. Boomer would be lucky to get away with a few broken bones.

Brick smirked evilly, and the room went completely silent. He glanced at Bubbles, then turned back to Boomer. His smile widened, and Boomer shrank back into his seat.

"Okay Boomer. Since you and Blondie seem to be getting on so well over there, I'll just help you along a bit."

Blossom's eyes went wide. Brick wouldn't dare Boomer to do _that_, would he?

"I dare you to plant one on her."

Apparently he would.

Bubbles flushed bright pink, looking horrified. Boomer was miles ahead of her, steadily turning purple. Brick had definitely gotten his revenge.

* * *

A/N Ok, I know I left it on a kind of cliff-hanger again but I was tired from all the drugs. Besides I like cliff-hangers. I'll update quickly this time, I promise! R&R please!


	7. Strange Happenings

Chapter Seven

Blossom massaged her temples, and felt her temper rise.

"Ew, ew, ew! I am NOT kissing her! She's a puff!"

She couldn't hear herself think over Boomer's loud complaining.

"It's DISGUSTING!"

Bubbles had started to scream, in the most petulant manner possible.

"Liars! Pucker up, you know you want to!"

Buttercup was jeering at the pair of them.

"Yeah, come on bro', don't be such a wimp!"

Butch had followed suit.

"Yeah Boomer! I dared you, so you have to do it!"

And right in the thick of the chaos was Brick, yelling out his anger at his brother. Blossom glared at the back of his head, willing his tongue to fall out. Her head was starting to hurt like crazy, and Brick simply refused to let the argument die down. He was right in the middle of the madness, yelling as loud as he possibly could, and, best of all, he was _still _annoying her.

"Ugh, I'm getting old here! Come on you coward, just do it already!"

"Or what, you're going to hit me with your handbag?!"

Boomer raised an eyebrow, and smirked tauntingly at Brick. Then he caught sight of the look of fury on his brother's face and his grin vanished, to be replaced with a look of sheer terror. The unfortunate boy gave a yelp, and tried to dash backwards, but he was a few seconds too late. Brick grabbed him in a headlock, his face a mask of pure, animal fury. He lifted one foot and pointed to Blossom's shoe.

"Or else I'm gonna' bury this right up your wimpy ass, that's what!"

Blossom's eyes shot open as the volume in the room increased. She glared at Brick furiously, grinding her teeth. That stupid, _stupid_ boy, everything had been perfectly fine until her absolute _idiot _of a counterpart had suggested that stupid dare, and now Boomer and Bubbles were wailing like dying cats, and Buttercup and Butch were teasing them as loudly as they could, and he was being a jerk in the loudest, most annoying way possible, and why couldn't they just-

"SHUT UP! Dammit, will all of you please just SHUT UP!!!"

Everyone immediately fell silent, and looked at Blossom in shock. She was red in the face and angry, and her shoulders heaved as she tried to catch her breath. Her throat was hurting, but she was too busy glaring at everyone to care. She looked just about ready to kill someone, and it looked like Brick was first on her list. She tugged at her hair angrily, and then looked over at the red ruff.

"Brick. Sit down and stay quiet."

Brick bristled.

"What about the dare? I'm not gonna let my gimpy brother get away with this."

He gestured angrily at his ridiculous apparel, and Blossom frowned. He did have a point. A dare was a dare, and it wasn't as if it was life threatening. Boomer had had his cootie shot, so he was perfectly safe, and Bubbles liked him a lot, so it wasn't asking much. The pair of them were just being childish.

She sighed, and felt her anger at Brick dissipate. Now that things were finally quiet again, she was able to calm herself down. She looked over at Bubbles imploringly, silently pleading with her. Her sister shook her head stubbornly, and pouted. Blossom sighed, more than slightly annoyed. She, once again, was struggling to keep the peace between everyone in the room, and it was proving very difficult indeed. She couldn't keep all three of them happy- someone was going to have to make a sacrifice.

She took a step back, and stood beside Bubbles with her arms folded. She looked Brick in the eye solemnly, and wrapped an arm around Bubbles' shoulder. Brick growled, and Butch and Buttercup sighed in exasperation. Disappointment was clear on their faces.

"Damn. I was looking forward to seeing that."

"And she's supposed to like him; she's always telling us how cute he is."

Bubbles glared at Buttercup, going crimson.

"No I don't!"

"Uh, yeah you do!"

"I don't!"

As Bubbles turned to Buttercup to argue, Blossom glanced over at her scowling counterpart. He frowned at her, looking disappointed. He expected her to look away, but instead she winked at him, and grinned. He frowned at her in confusion, until she mouthed a few words at him, and jerked her head at Boomer, who had joined the argument between her two sisters.

_Grab him. _

Perhaps it was because they were counterparts, or maybe it was because he understood Blossom more than he cared to admit, but Brick instantly realised Blossom's intentions. He grinned in delight, and studied Blossom for a moment. Was she capable of doing something that devious?

_I never knew she could be so sneaky._

Brick gave a nod to let her know he understood, and crept over to Boomer as quietly as he could. Blossom did the same, trying not to let her sister notice. Bubbles, thankfully, was still caught up in a heated argument with Buttercup. She looked over at Brick when she was close enough, and jerked her head. She leaned over to Bubbles, and whispered mockingly behind her.

"If you won't kiss him under your own steam, then I'm just going to have to give you a hand."

Brick and Blossom pounced, with the same deadly speed and lethal precision that they had used on each other countless times in the past. It was a trademark of theirs, borne out of their love of playing Cat and Mouse in the middle of a battle. With years of practice behind them, Bubbles and Boomer didn't stand a chance of escaping.

Bubbles gave a terrified squeal when Blossom grabbed her around the waist trapping her arms to her side. She lashed out at her sister angrily, trying desperately to escape. She became more and more frantic when she realised that her sister was stronger than her. She started to kick violently, since her arms were useless. There was no way on earth she was going to kiss Boomer. Buttercup would never let her live it down, ever, and as for Boomer… What if she did it wrong, and scared him off?

Bubbles was not going to let that happen, not on her life. She tried to elbow Blossom in the stomach, but Blossom had a tight grip on her arms, and she wasn't letting go any time soon. Boomer was in the same position, wrestling as hard as he could against Brick. Brick was steering Boomer, kicking and screaming, towards her. Bubbles panicked, and dug her heels in as Blossom tried to push her forward. She felt a hand on the back of her head, and screwed her eyes shut.

She tried her Sonic Scream out of desperation, and everyone's eyes screwed shut in pain, their eardrums ringing. Blossom gritted her teeth against the noise, and gave her sister one last push towards Boomer's face.

Fortunately, her aim was impeccable, and Bubbles stopped screaming as her lips touched Boomer's. The silence was like music to Blossom's ears. Blossom smiled tiredly at Brick, and they both sat down, exhausted from struggling with their siblings.

"Thank god that's over." Blossom sighed, shutting her eyes.

Brick didn't reply. She opened one pink eye to look at him. The look on his face instantly caught her attention. It was a mixture of shock, amusement, and confusion. Blossom turned to look in the same direction as Brick, and let out a gasp.

Boomer and Bubbles were, through some hideous trick of fate, still kissing. Boomer's hands clutched her back, and they kissed each other with a passion that made Blossom wish she wasn't there to see it. She went red, feeling as if she was intruding. The pair of them didn't seem to realise that they had an audience of four watching them.

Eventually, just as Blossom was about to die of embarrassment, Brick had the common sense to intervene.

"Uh, earth to blondes, we're still here remember? You have to come up for air soon, or you'll both die, and there will never be a second date."

They jolted apart at the sound of Brick's voice. They both went bright red with embarrassment. And possibly lack of air. But mostly embarrassment.

There was an awkward silence, permeated by sly chuckles disguised as coughs. Blossom frowned at Boomer in confusion. Brick looked more than a little freaked out, to put it mildly. Buttercup and Butch were… well they were just laughing. Boomer scratched the back of his head awkwardly, avoiding everyone's eyes.

"So…who's next?"

Boomer's pathetic attempt to change the subject only made Brick smirk.

"Well, we could dare you to kiss her again, but you'd probably whine and bitch about it some more. Besides, you need to take a break after that little show."

Boomer flushed even deeper, and stared at the ceiling.

Blossom gave him a curious look. Something was niggling at her, a feeling in her gut that had been there since Boomer broke the kiss. It was the kind of feeling she had when trouble was coming. She studied Boomer intently, trying to put her finger on it. She glanced at Butch, then at Brick, and finally back at Boomer. She caught sight of the watch on his wrist, and it clicked.

Boomer's sleeves had reached to his knuckles when Brick dared him to kiss her sister. Now they barely reached his wrists.

Boomer had grown. Quite a lot.

Blossom stood up, and grabbed the front of Brick's shirt. He grunted as she pulled him out of his seat, and dragged him over to Boomer. She pulled Boomer and Butch off the couch, and pushed them over to stand next to Brick. All three of them exchanged glances, looking worried. What was Blossom up to? They instinctively shielded their groins.

Blossom stepped back from them, gawping. Buttercup and Bubbles looked at them, and their mouths fell open too.

"What the…?"

Brick shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like being stared at like some freak show. He turned to raise an eyebrow at Butch, and gave a surprised yelp. He stumbled backwards with wide eyes.

"Holy crap!"

Because there, where Butch's eyes usually were, was his shoulder. And it wasn't supposed to be there. No, it was definitely not supposed to be there.

Never, not once, had any of the Rowdyruff Boys been different in height. They had always been the exact same height, probably because they were Chemical X beings.

But now, to Brick's horror, Butch was at least five inches taller than him. He cursed, and turned around to alert Boomer. His blood turned to ice when, instead of navy-blue eyes, his brother's chest stared back at him. He took a few steps back, and for the first time ever, stared _up _at his brothers. For a moment all he could do was gawk. It was like his worst nightmares were coming true. He was the leader, and his brothers were literally looking down on him.

Before Blossom could reach forward to calm him down, he let out a scream of horror.

"WHAT THE HELL?! I'M A GODDAMN MIDGET!!!"

* * *

A/N: What's happened to Brick? What's happened to Boomer? My lips are sealed until the next chapter. Please leave a Review! They keep me writing!

Also, I must apologise to you canzie. I just can't help leaving people in suspense. Sorry, drama has been burned into me... :)

Maybe next chapter....?:D


	8. The Other Side of the Door

Blossom's green eyed sister stomped back into the hallway, rubbing the back of her head and wincing. Blossom had seen her wrestling with Butch a few minutes earlier. Apparently he hadn't liked being measured by Buttercup, and had punched her to prove it. Buttercup hadn't liked his attitude at all.

Butch was still unconscious on the living room floor, which worried Blossom a little, but she was too preoccupied with her own counterpart to worry about the kind of damage Buttercup had caused him. She needed to sort out this mess quickly and efficiently, before Brick lost it. She had last seen him creeping into the closet, possibly to get away from his brothers, and she hadn't seen him leave.

"Well? What height is he?"

"He's still five foot nine. Hasn't changed at all."

Blossom nodded. That was one less Rowdyruff to worry about. She glanced at the closet door for a second, before turning and rushing down the hall to the kitchen.

There was still one very large problem admiring his reflection in the mirror, and she needed to get him back to normal, whether he liked it or not.

"Bubble's?" Blossom called out to her blonde baby sister, sounding more than a little panicked. Bubbles looked up, heard the stress in Blossom's voice, and knew it was best not to keep her sister waiting. She threw a glance at Boomer, who was chatting excitedly to her, or rather, to his reflection, and slipped through the door.

"He's six foot five, Blossom."

Bubbles emerged from the kitchen, looking more than a little freaked out. Boomer was becoming increasingly narcissistic, and Bubbles didn't like it. Blossom didn't particularly approve either. Of course, she could hardly blame him. It had to feel great to be taller than your brothers, especially if those brothers were as bossy and intimidating as Brick and Butch.

Unfortunately for Boomer, she wanted things back to normal, and that meant that he was going to have to shrink down a few sizes.

"Girls, can you do me a favour?"

"Okay."

"Sure. What do we have to do?"

"Whatever it is, it's not going to be pretty…"

* * *

"AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!"

"Shut up, you wimp! Take it like a man!"

"No… no… NOT THE TWEEZERS!!!"

When she heard the familiar high pitched scream of pain for the fourth time, Blossom decided Boomer had been through enough. She hoped for his sake that he was the right size again.

She opened the door and motioned for her sisters to step back from the sweating boy. He was strapped to the chair with a long rope made from all her favourite ribbons. Multicoloured strands of silk tied his wrists together, and he was struggling desperately against the restraints. His shoes had been taken from him, along with most of his pants. Blossom glanced at her sisters enquiringly, until Bubbles sheepishly held up a pair of scissors and some scraps of denim.

Now that Boomer was wearing a pair of hotpants, she could see a bald patch shaped like a large rectangle on his left leg. It looked red and painful, and the mark was unmistakable. They'd waxed him. That would explain all the screaming. Blossom shivered when she spotted another wax strip still stuck to his other leg. Someone would have to pull it off eventually, and she didn't particularly want to be there when it happened.

Blossom thought the scene looked like a bad parody of some cheesy horror film, and if she had been a little less stressed, she probably would have laughed.

Instead, she walked over to release Boomer, and helped the shaking boy to his feet. He looked absolutely terrified, but at least he looked smaller.

"Guys, I said you had to threaten his masculinity, not his life. Was all that really necessary?"

Bubbles blushed, and hid the scissors behind her back. Buttercup, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed, and handed Blossom the tape measure with a wink.

"Not really sure it was all necessary, but it was fun."

Blossom glared at her sister disapprovingly, and propped Boomer against the kitchen wall. She smiled as reassuringly as she could at him, and unrolled the tape measure. She stretched it out from his toe to his head, looked at the numbers, and frowned in disappointment at the large number six. He was still taller than he was supposed to be, out by exactly an inch. She sighed angrily, very close to losing her temper.

Buttercup spotted the look of disappointment on her sister's face, glanced at the number six on the tape measure, and then she _smiled. _Blossom frowned at her sister angrily, her already heated temper threatening to bubble over. This was _serious, _her counterpart was suffering from crippling inferiority issues_, _he was still _shrinking _for god's sake, and Buttercup had the audacity, the sheer bloody cheek, to _laugh _about it?

For a moment Blossom saw red, and almost exploded at her sister, until Buttercup leaned over and, with a vicious tug, ripped the wax strip clean off Boomer's leg. It made a terrible tearing sound, and Blossom couldn't help but wince. Boomer let out a string of curses, but quickly lapsed into silence, too weak to care about the burning pain in his leg for longer than a minute. Blossom could only gawp as a red flush bloomed across his leg, and her anger subsided instantly. Buttercup winked at her, and then called over her shoulder.

"Butch! Get in here!"

Boomer's eyes flew open in fear, and he slumped helplessly against the wall. Blossom felt instantly sorry for the boy, but she couldn't help but admire her sister. Buttercup sure knew how to humiliate people. It was probably a bad thing, but at the moment, given the circumstances, it certainly seemed a valuable talent to have.

She heard footsteps in the hallway, and then Butch burst through the door.

"Keep it down in here! What the hell?! I wake up with a dent in the side of my head, and all I can hear is Butterfingers here screaming like a-"

He ground to a halt when he caught sight of his tattered brother. His eyes scanned the trailing ribbons and the used-to-be trousers, and fell on the two oddly shaped patches on Boomer's legs. For a moment he could only stare, dumbfounded, and then a chuckle slid past his lips, and he couldn't hold it any longer.

"Oh my god, what happened to you?! Haha, you look like a _hippie!_"

He creased over laughing, and Blossom could practically see Boomer shrink. He flushed bright pink and cursed to himself as Butch pointed a mocking finger at him Buttercup giggled along with her counterpart for a while, until Blossom coughed loudly. She looked up and nodded, before grabbing Butch's arm and steering him back through the door.

"That's all Butch. Bye now."

Buttercup grinned and waved her fingers at Butch, who could only stare back at her in confusion. She gave him a sly wink. Before Butch could register the completely un-Buttercup-like gesture, or actually react to it, she shut the door on him and turned back to Blossom.

"Is he the right size yet? I'm running out of ideas here."

_I'm going to have to keep an eye on her. Maybe Butch did get in a lucky shot after all._

Blossom shrugged it off and grabbed Boomer, who had eased himself into a chair only seconds before. He groaned, but didn't try to struggle, and she unrolled the tape measure with a loud snapping noise. Bubbles got off the table and peeked over Blossom's shoulder. Buttercup was right behind her, craning her neck to see.

"Well? What does it say?"

Blossom gave a small smile of relief and pocketed the tape measure.

"Five foot nine. Back to normal. Sorry about that Boomer."

He gave a small groan, and Blossom handed him over to Bubbles.

"Bubbles, get him into the living room, get him something to eat, and for god's sake, please don't kiss him!"

Bubbles blushed and nodded, leading Boomer out into the living room. Blossom needed to keep things under control, and until this mess was sorted out, she couldn't allow anyone to grow larger than they should be.

"So Boomer, do you want some cocoa?"

"What's cocoa?"

"It's a really tasty. You'll love it!"

Blossom grinned. There was nothing Bubbles' cocoa couldn't fix. Not even the severe emotional trauma Boomer had suffered through.

Blossom vacated the kitchen quickly, before everyone in the house could come storming in demanding their share of cocoa. The hall was empty, so she hurried over to the closet. She knocked on the door as softly as she could, and leaned toward the keyhole.

"Brick?" she whispered. "Brick, Boomer's back to normal. He and Butch are the same height again; at least that's good news, right?"

Silence. She couldn't even hear him breathing, which was worrying.

"And… and Bubbles is making cocoa, if you want some…"

She trailed off pathetically. Her counterpart was taking his lack of height badly, too badly in her opinion, butwhat on earth was she supposed to say? _Sorry that you're really short now Brick, but don't you think you're overreacting a little? Look on the bright side; at least you'll be able to fly faster. _If Brick was anything like she was, those weren't the words he wanted to hear. What else could she do?

"Brick, open the door. Please? You can't hide forever."

The desperation was clear in her voice, and she sounded like she was quoting from a bad soap opera, but she didn't care. She needed him to talk to her. She couldn't help him if he didn't communicate with her.

She waited for a while, but nothing happened. No sound came from the closet, and the door remained shut. Brick was completely ignoring her.

Blossom ground her teeth angrily, but her temper got the better of her, and she snapped at him through the door.

"Fine! Stay in there! Stay in there and feel sorry for yourself, and keep on shrinking. Pretty soon you'll be shorter than me, and it serves you right! What is wrong with you Brick? You've never been one to hide from your problems, and you've certainly never let your brothers get to you. And you've never, not once, passed up a chance to argue with me! The Brick I know would be fighting me back right now. We should be screaming at each other, but we're not, and you know why? Because you're in there feeling sorry for yourself, instead of being out here taking it out on everyone else!"

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, probably Bubbles.

"Um, Blossom?"

"Not now!" She brushed her sister's hand away. She had something to say, and she was not going to be interrupted.

Her anger subsided slightly, and her voice softened. She leaned closer to the door, and whispered, so Bubbles couldn't hear.

"If it counts for anything, I couldn't care less what height you are. You could be three feet tall and it wouldn't matter, not to your brothers, not to my sisters, and especially not to me. What matters is that you're not out here bossing your brothers around, and insulting my sisters, and, more importantly, screaming at me."

She fell silent then, letting it sink in. A few minutes ticked by, but he finally replied, in a somewhat amused tone. What confused Blossom even more was the fact that his voice wasn't coming from the closet at all. No, it was coming from over her shoulder.

"I could scream at you if you want, but watching you having a go at an empty closet cheered me up too much."

She whipped around in shock, and stared up in dismay at her grinning counterpart. A blush crept up her cheeks, and his grin widened. The entire speech she had spoken so passionately, the only heartfelt thing she would ever say to Brick Jojo, and it had all been unnecessary?

"But you were in there and you didn't come out and now you're…you're _there_! How are you _there_?!"

"Chill Blossy. I went in there after Butch and Boomer started getting at me about the whole…you know…short thing. Anyway, I was sitting in there for about five minutes, and then I realised I was letting my brothers get away with all that crap, so I went looking for 'em. I found Butch on the living room floor, with this huge bruise on the side of his head, so I left him alone. It's no fun beating someone up when they're out cold anyway. Then I took a look in the kitchen to see if Boomer was there and I saw your sisters... well, torturing him. So in the end, I didn't get to wring his neck either.

"I was starting to get sick of this skirt, so I went up to your room to look for a pair of pants. I couldn't find anything, so I borrowed these from the line outside."

He was wearing a pair of the Professor's trousers, which were just a bit too long for him, but he didn't seem to care.

"Then I came down here and found you pouring your heart out to that door over there. You didn't need to do all that just to make me feel better. I wasn't going to stay in there forever you know."

He barely stifled a laugh, and Blossom scowled, feeling stupid for the first time in years. Why was Brick always present at her worst moments? It was like some kind of universal law, and she hated it.

But Brick…Brick loved it, and he was always happiest when she was blushing. He was like an addict, and for him, every argument, every fight, every chance to annoy Blossom, fed his addiction. And he knew that someday he was going to overdose, and it would be the end of him, but he couldn't help himself.

"If it counts for anything, I couldn't care less what height you are either. As long as you're still blushing, I'm happy."

She rolled her eyes at him, and her skin finally faded back to its original cream color. He sighed and looked down at his overlong trousers, suddenly serious.

"I would still like to get back to normal though."

"Then I pity the poor girl who has to kiss you."

"Ha-di-bloody-ha, Bloss. Is it really that simple?"

"There's only one way to find out."

"I'm flattered and all, but-"

"Dream on Brick. I've already got a plan anyway. Have you ever heard of a kissing booth?"

He shook his head, and frowned. Blossom replied with a small smirk, and started walking toward the kitchen.

"You're going to love it!" she called over her shoulder.

* * *

Please R&R. And feel free to flame me for my crappy updating skills. I deserve it.


	9. Love Hurts

**Wanna' Play, Chapter Nine**

"No."

"Come on, it's not that bad."

"I'm not doing it."

"It'll make you tall again."

"For the last freakin' time, _no._"

Blossom rolled her light pink eyes, and fixed her scowling counterpart with a disapproving glare.

"And why not?"

Brick shifted uncomfortably, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

Never in her life had Blossom believed she was capable of making a boy blush, much less a boy as utterly shameless as Brick. Over the years she had given him plenty of reasons to do so; she had teased him, humiliated him, even _kissed _him, but not once had his skin darkened to anything even faintly resembling a blush.

For a moment she could only stare, her mouth shamelessly hanging open. Then, without thinking, she giggled. He looked up at her in surprise, and a smirk stretched across her lips

"Aw, how sweet."

He frowned at her tone, and she leaned in close, a look on her face that would have put his own trademark smirk to shame.

"Don't tell me that the infamous Brick Jojo, the big bad leader of the Rowdyruffs, is _scared_?"

He glowered at her, and she relented with a shrug, although the smirk never left her face.

He ground his teeth, glancing at the small sign she had painted with distaste. He could just imagine what his brothers would say if they ever found out that he'd taken part in something so degrading. They would make his life a living hell, and eventually he'd end up having to take drastic measures and fake his own death.

Then again, the pair of them would probably have the story printed on his gravestone, for the whole world to see.

He shuddered, and Blossom's smirk faltered.

"Oh my god, you _are _scared."

Before he could protest, she had placed one delicate hand on his shoulder, fixing him with a condescending smile that made his blood boil. He gritted his teeth and tried to shrug her hand off.

When it didn't budge, he grabbed hold of her wrist, wrenching the offending hand from his shoulder roughly. His temper getting the better of him, he pulled her closer, until they were face to face.

"I'm _not _scared. I just don't feel like playing pimp to all your ditzy little friends."

She rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Then how are you ever going to get back to normal?"

He shut his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his head.

On the one hand, he could stay short forever and live a long, humiliating existence. His brothers would have no respect for him, the midget Rowdyruff. He'd have to hand over leadership to Butch, which would effectively get them all thrown into jail within a week. Then he'd spend the rest of his life being jailbait, and eventually resort to drowning himself in a toilet.

Or he could march out the front door and be consumed by hordes of cootie-infested, lust-filled, hormonal teenage girls, and _then_ live a long, humiliating existence. Except this time, he'd be tall, and hopefully not a piece of jailbait.

_You'll probably catch herpes and die before you get the chance to go to jail._

He shook his head in frustration. There had to be another option. There was _always_ a third option. Years of breaking into cinemas had taught him at least that much.

"Uh, Brick?"

He cracked an eyelid open at the sound of her voice, and flinched when he realised how close she was. She blushed slightly at his shocked expression and tugged on her arm.

"Can I have my hand back?"

Her nose brushed against his for a moment, and his eyes went wide.

"Hey Blossom…"

She shrank back, looking wary. He was staring at her oddly, and she didn't like it.

"What?" she hissed, faintly aware of his fingers flexing into her forearm.

He grinned stupidly up at her, looking almost like a dazed puppy.

"You're a girl."

The second the words were out of his mouth, he knew he'd made a huge mistake. Blossom's face pinched slightly, and she fixed him with a look that could wither flowers. Before he could scurry away, she grabbed him by the collar, teeth clenched in fury.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

The anger flared in her eyes, and he let out a yelp, raising his hands to defend himself.

"Hold it, I didn't mean it like that!"

Her grip on his shirt slackened, but the annoyance in her face remained, making him cringe slightly. She didn't say anything, and he decided to take that as an invitation to continue pleading for his life.

"All I'm saying is… that as a girl you're bound to be crawling with cooties, and I thought that, uh… you know, maybe you could help out of my … situation…?"

Before he had the chance to consider what he'd just said, her hand collided with the side of his face, and he fell back with a yell.

"How _dare _you! Who do you think I am?"

He growled and rubbed the side of his face, cursing his crappy choice of words.

_Great. Now she's pissed._

He winced at the stinging sensation in his cheek, and fixed the pink puff with a death glare, his own temper firing up. She had stalked over to the other side of the room, looking martyred, and he noted the distance between them with some relief.

"What the _hell _was that for?"

She scoffed at him, her pink eyes narrowing.

"It's about time someone slapped the sexism out of you. And, for the record, yes, I _am _a girl, and girls don't particularly enjoy being told they're crawling with cooties!"

"Sexism? What do you mean, sexism? I was asking you to do me a favour!"

"Yeah well, I don't hand out _favours_ very often!"

She felt her eyes heating up and turned her back on him, before she could start firing lasers. She heard him snort behind her and stomped toward the doorway, fists clenched tightly at her sides. He was being such an egotistical, ungrateful little brat, and if she didn't get out of that room fast, she was going to kill him.

She had almost reached the door when she heard him speak up behind her.

"Well excuse me then." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I didn't expect you to be so frigid."

She froze, making a small choking noise. His guts twisted uncomfortably in his stomach, and he fell silent, watching her with apprehension.

_Congratulations, moron. What if she starts crying?_

He gave a start, his heart speeding up in his chest. He hated it when girls cried. They took forever to calm down, and they went on and on about their feelings and how everything was wrong with their lives. Then they always expected someone else to make them feel better. Female tears were every boy's worst nightmare, and Brick was damned if he was going to hang around passing hankies to his counterpart all day.

With this in mind, he reached out a hand, in an awkward attempt to calm her down. He opened his mouth, trying to work up a decent apology through the bile in his throat. Apologising was another thing he hated with a passion.

Before he had the chance to say anything though, the silence was interrupted by the sound of splintering wood, and he felt his blood stand still in his veins.

Blossom whirled around and hurled the broken doorknob at him as hard as she could, a feral snarl ripping through her teeth. Brick had a brief moment to marvel at how stunningly angry she looked, and then the doorknob connected with his skull with a dull crack.

* * *

"Oh! Me next! Me next!"

His eyelids fluttered open at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, and he groaned, reaching up to touch the swelling bruise on the side of his head.

He frowned when he realised his hands weren't moving, even though he was clearly telling them to. He frowned at the useless appendages, willing them to work.

Just as he was beginning to think Blossom had given him brain damage, he noticed the ropes. They were everywhere, criss-crossing across his chest and winding all the way down to his ankles. He glanced at his wrists and realised they were tied down to his knees.

He heard a high-pitched giggle somewhere to his left and glanced up, fear etched in his face.

Somewhere in his chest, he felt his heart stutter and come to a halt, like a dying car engine. His breath caught in his throat and he wheezed painfully.

Everywhere he looked there were girls, girls of every shape and size imaginable, and all with the same crazed look in their eyes. They were watching him like he was a piece of meat, and that alone was enough to drive him into full on panic attack mode.

It seemed that Blossom had decided to follow through with her kissing booth plan, whether he liked it or not.

He strained against the ropes and the chair tipped, sending him crashing to the floor. He cursed and tried to crawl away, wriggling against his restraints awkwardly. There was no way in hell he was sticking around so he could get mauled by hordes of teenage girls.

He grunted as a hand shot out and grabbed him by his collar, pulling him upright.

_Oh crap._

Blossom's smirking face came into view, and he cringed. He swallowed, and forced a nervous smile, watching the crowd over her shoulder. He could see some girls pulling out tubes of lip-gloss, and the thought of all that pink goo smeared over his face made him shudder.

"C-come on Bloss, you don't have to do this. I didn't mean what I s-said."

She arched one eyebrow and nudged him forward a few inches toward the crowd.

"Anything else?" she asked, her voice sickly sweet. The smile never left her face, a clear indication that she was enjoying torturing him.

He peered around her head at the crowd of girls, wondering if he should take his chances with them, when the nearest girl winked, edging closer. He took one look at her, and threw himself at Blossom's feet.

"I'm sorry! I take it all back! It was lies, all of it! You're not frigid; you're just… sensitive…?"

Her face darkened, and she pushed him forward a few more inches.

"… But in a good way! I swear! Don't let them-"

His pleas were cut short when he felt a pair of hands gripping his shoulders tightly, and he was pulled backwards. He let out a yell and lashed out at the person who had grabbed him, kicking feebly.

"Brick?"

A girl was whispering in his ear, and he yelled some more, screwing his eyes shut. He didn't want to look, in case it was the blonde girl with the garish pink lips.

"Brick, for god's sake, get UP!"

The person holding him starting shaking him violently, and he opened his eyes in surprise. Worried pink eyes stared back at him, and he frowned, glancing around the room. It was completely empty- no girls, no kissing booth, nothing remotely sinister at all. Nothing, that is, except Blossom.

He turned to her, looking dazed and hopelessly confused, but nonetheless alive. She sighed with relief.

"Thank god. I thought I'd killed you for a moment there."

He tilted his head to the side, frowning at her.

"W-where did all the girls go? And the ropes? And all the…" he hesitated, going pale. "… Lip-gloss?"

She stared at him for a few moments in silence, her face blank.

"…Maybe I hit you a little too hard with that doorknob."

He reached up to touch the side of his head, and winced when he felt a lump. That was going to earn him a few funny looks from his brothers. He was pretty sure it was already turning purple, but the worried look on Blossom's face told him he was better off not knowing.

She reached out and tugged on his arm, pulling him up from the floor.

"Come on. We have a bag of frozen peas in the kitchen. It's a little soggy because Butch forgot to put it back in the freezer, but it should still do the trick."

He nodded and followed her through to the kitchen. Taking a seat at the table, he watched as Blossom rummaged through the freezer, eventually pulling out a frosty plastic bag from the back. Grabbing a tea cloth, she wrapped the bag of peas and took a seat next to him.

She pressed the bundle against the side of his head gingerly, and he shuddered.

"Sorry."

He frowned over at her, but she wouldn't meet his gaze. Instead, she leaned in to inspect his head.

"Why?"

She rolled her eyes, and gave a weak smile.

"Why do you think? In case you didn't notice, I knocked you out with a door handle."

He smirked and shrugged.

"Doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. That's _not _what heroes are supposed to do."

He rolled his eyes, and leaned forward so he was looking her in the eyes.

"Snap out of it, Bloss. I'mthe villain, remember? You're _supposed_ to beat the crap out of me."

She managed a smile at that, and he grinned in reply, settling back into his seat. He preferred it when she smiled. She was easier to get along with.

He saw her eyes wander over the tender spot on his head, and she bit her lip, the old worry coming back.

"Does it hurt?"

He smirked, adopting a pained face.

"Yeah, it's _agony. _Oh nurse, could you pretty please kiss it better?"

Blossom frowned at that last part, and heaved a small sigh. Her fingers flexed, itching to slap him again, but she folded her arms and settled for lecturing him instead.

"Tell me Brick, what will it take for you to actually learn from your mistakes? Because apparently me half-killing you hasn't worked."

He turned to face her, his eyes wide and daring, his lips forming a smirk she was becoming uncomfortably familiar with, and suddenly she knew what he was going to say before he even got to open his mouth.

"Then do the opposite. Humour me."

And, for some reason, she didn't mind.

Before her common sense could come along and spoil the fun, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

For a moment, it felt like her brain had frozen. All the knowledge spilled from her mind, to be replaced by images of him, and only. His unnerving red eyes and mocking smile crowded up every ounce of space in her mind, until she was sure her head was going to burst.

She pulled away, feeling wonderfully reckless and stupid, and for a moment he could only gape at her. She grinned at the dazed look on his face, and reached out to touch the side of his head.

"Well, at least I shut you up."

* * *

A/N: I am sooooo SORRY! It's been MONTHS! :O

I was kind of out of it when writing this chapter, so I'm sorry if it sucks. The ending was spectacularly crap by any accounts. Still, reviews would be lovely :)


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